Basketball game

ABSTRACT

A parlor type indoor basketball game including a simulated basketball court and a plurality of maneuverable ball propelling mechanisms including playing pieces activated by push rods slidably disposed under the court and adapted to be operated at each end of the court by opposing players for bringing the ball toward a basket at one end of the court or the other. Additional mechanism in the form of an inclined ramp is employed which in conjunction with the ball propelling mechanism serves to raise the ball upwardly from the floor of the court in the general direction of the basket for a possible score.

United States Patent n91 Payne, Jr. et a1.

[ Dec. 24, 1974,

[ BASKETBALL GAME [75] Inventors: Calvin L. Payne, Jr.,

Hastings-on-Hudson; Vincent J. Gambello, New York, both of N.Y.; John A.Molnar, Fairfield, Conn.

[73] Assignee: Tudor Games, Incorporated,

Brooklyn, NY.

[22] Filed: Apr. 12, 1973 [21] Appl. No.1 350,307

[52] U.S. Cl. 273/85 B [51] Int. Cl A63f 7/10, A63f 7/14 [58] Field ofSearch 273/85, 119 R, 129

[56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS I 871,122 8/1953Germany 273/85 F 1,544,129 9/1968 France 273/85 F OTHER PUBLICATIONSSears Christmas Book 1968, 9/14/68, p. 469, Basketball with Pro-LeagueAction, 79N65273L.

Primary Examiner'Paul E. Shapiro 57 ABSTRACT A parlor type indoorbasketball game including a simulated basketball court and a pluralityof maneuverable ball propelling mechanisms including playing piecesactivated by push rods slidably disposed under the court and adapted tobe operated at each end of the court by opposing players for bringingthe ball toward a basket at one end of the court or the other.

Additional mechanism in the form of an inclined ramp, is employed whichin conjunction with the ball propel- 1 ling mechanism serves to raisethe ball upwardly from the floor of the court in the general directionof the basket for a possible score.

v 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUBEB24I974 3,856,303

sum 2 of 2 z" WM BASKETBALL GAME by a framework in which is mounted aplurality of ball propelling mechanisms. The board itself provides anirregular surface containing various ramps from which a ball may bedirected toward a basket by the same mechanism used to propel the ballalong the surface of the board. The inclination of the ramps isdependent on its proximity to the end of the court toward which it isoriented and at which the basket is located. The players skill is calledon to use the mechanism not only to propel the ball successfully into aramp, but to employ further the mechaism to cause its ejection therefromwith sufficient velocity to bound off a backboard on which the basket ismounted so as to go through the basket for a score.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved indoor board game,the play of which is simulative of the game of basketball. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be appreciated onreading the following detailed description of one embodiment thereofwhich is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing the operating mechanism andis taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view and is taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

Referring the the drawings, a simulated basketball court is showncomprising an irregular board surface or playing field 12 is bounded bya frame 14 having end pieces 16 and 18 at each end of the court. Clamped between the board surface 12 and end pieces 16 and 18 are transparentbackboards 20 having embossed target areas 24 on which are mountedbaskets 22. The board surface 12 has formed thereon a plurality ofraised portions 26 and depressions 28 to receive rebounds at each end ofthe court. Also formed on the board surface 12 are a plurality of ramps30. The ramps 30 are oriented toward respective backboards 20 and willreceive the ball as it rolls off one of the raised portions 26. Theangle of inclination of each ramp 30 nearer the end of the court towhich it is directed is dependent on its proximity to the basket at thatend.

In each end piece 16 and 18 there are inserted a plurality of slidableball surface propellers each comprising a turning and push-pull knob 32mounted on shaft 34 at one end thereof outside the end pieces 16 and 18.The inner end of the shaft 34 is rotatably supported by a holder element36 having bevel gear 38 mounted on the end thereof. Bevel gear 38engages bevel gear 40 which is mounted on vertical shaft 42 .rotatablysupported by the holder element 36.

Bearing portion 44 of the holder element 36 is guided within slots 46 inthe board surface l2'and slidably supported thereon through ears 48extending laterally of the holder element above and below the boardsurface 12. Vertical shaft 42 extends above the board surface 12 tosupport the simulated players 50 having extensions 52 for striking ball54. I

In operation, the instant game is played by two players who haveavailable to themselves a plurality of ball propelling rods 34 which areintended to be used to work the ball 54in the general direction of thescoring basket. At the start of the game the ball 54 is placed in centerdepression 56. It is the object of the game to push the ball into one ofthe ramps 30 provided in the board surface 12 of the game from which itmay be raised off the surface of the board toward the target area of thebackboard and desirably reflected into the mounted basket for a scoredepending on the force used to eject the ballfrom its ramp. The raisedportions 26 aid in rolling the ball into one of the ramps while thedepressions 28 are provided to receive rebounds after a missed basket.

Various modifications of the invention may be effected by personsskilled in the art without departing from the scope and principlethereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An indoor basketball game comprising a board surface havingaplurality of slots and ramps in said surface, slidable ball propellingrods disposed underneath said surface, means for supporting theoperative end of said rods, said means extending through said slots andhaving ball contacting arms operable rotatively and in translation bymeans of said rodsto contact a ball over said surface, and a simulatedbasket mounted over each end of the board surface, a plurality of rampsdisposed on the board surface having an upwardly inclined, elongated andrelatively narrow ball guiding surface consti? tuting a passage orientedinthe direction of one of said baskets, said passage having an upwardlyinclined slope the angle of which is dependent on the distance from thebasket toward which it is oriented, said ramps being open ended andhaving its ball entering and lowermost end located on the level of saidboard surface.

2. A game as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid surface is provided with aplurality of raised portions for facilitating the placement of the ballin one of said ramps. 3. A game as defined in claim 1 wherein rebounddepressions are provided at each end of the board.

4. A game as defined in claim 2 wherein rebound depressions are providedat each end of the board.

1. An indoor basketball game comprising a board surface having aplurality of slots and ramps in said surface, slidable ball propellingrods disposed underneath said surface, means for supporting theoperative end of said rods, said means extending through said slots andhaving ball contacting arms operable rotatively and in translation bymeans of said rods to contact a ball over said surface, and a simulatedbasket mounted over each end of the board surface, a plurality of rampsdisposed on the board surface having an upwardly inclined, elongated andrelatively narrow ball guiding surface constituting a passage orientedin the direction of one of said baskets, said passage having an upwardlyinclined slope the angle of which is dependent on the distance from thebasket toward which it is oriented, said ramps being open ended andhaving its ball entering and lowermost end located on the level of saidboard surface.
 2. A game as defined in claim 1 wherein said surface isprovided with a plurality of raised portions for facilitating theplacement of the ball in one of said ramps.
 3. A game as defined inclaim 1 wherein rebound depressions are provided at each end of theboard.
 4. A game as defined in claim 2 wherein rebound depressions areprovided at each end of the board.